OK, it’s been said we lose 1.5 months a year, one hour a day, and it’s lost to people who interrupt us.
Here are some ideas of what you can do about getting some of that time back:
1) Look at your physical space.
- If you’ve candy or other foods on your desk remove them. People gravitate to food and need to linger for a bit of time after they munch.
- Place your chair in such a way that you don’t make eye contact with people who walk by your area. If they don’t make eye contact, they’re much less apt to stop.
- If you’ve a chair in your work area, fill it with stuff. When people sit they stay longer.
- Close your door if you have one, use police tape across your cubicle (or other creative means to signal that you don’t want to be disturbed); look for ways to say “not now.”
2) Watch the signals you give off.
- Do you appear busy? Sometimes (women especially) feel the need to always be nice or available, and that can send a wrong message that you’ve got time to chat or help, when you don’t.
- After talking with someone dismiss them; it’s really not rude, just effective. Simply say “Is there anything else?” then break eye contact, looking down at your work.
- Stand up when someone comes in, give the appearance of being rushed. Tell the interrupter you need to finish your project (if you can, drop someone’s name with more authority…finishing the project for John Smith is even more effective) and tell the person when you’ll get back to him at a specific time.
3) Keep a Work Task Log (WTL).
While many, many people say if they’ve the time to keep a WTL they wouldn’t need it, a simple one, kept for only two weeks, can yield a wealth of information. Who interrupts most often and what are the reasons? This gives you all sorts of information to be more proactive in dealing with the interrupters of the world!
Best regards,
~ Jennifer
Post a Comment